Targeted obstetric haemorrhage programme improves incoming resident confidence and knowledge

Abstract

Postpartum haemorrhage is an infrequent but potentially life-threatening obstetrical emergency amenable to simulation. An educational programme consisting of a lecture and high-fidelity simulation exercise was given to incoming obstetrics and gynaecology (OB) and family medicine (FM) residents. Residents reported pre- and post-intervention confidence scores on a 1–5 Likert scale and a subset completed a postpartum haemorrhage knowledge assessment. Residents reported significant improvements in confidence in parameters involved in diagnosis and management of postpartum haemorrhage. The postpartum haemorrhage test mean scores significantly increased (57.4 ± 9.6% vs 77.1 ± 7.9%, p < 0.01) and were significantly correlated to confidence scores (Spearman's coefficient of 0.651, p < 0.001). In conclusion, an education programme that incorporates high-fidelity simulation of postpartum haemorrhage improves the confidence and knowledge of incoming residents and appears to be an effective educational approach.

Keywords::

• Obstetric haemorrhage
• resident orientation
• simulation education

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

The authors would like to thank the Reverend Michelle Danson for editorial assistance and the NorthShore Center for Simulation and Innovation for facility space and other resources.